History of The Babington Centre

The original charity dates from 1691 when the Reverend Zacharias Babington gave a schoolhouse and land so that poor children living in Trellech could be educated (it is claimed that the Trust is one of the 80 oldest trusts in England & Wales).

When a new primary school was built in the village the school closed. Monmouth Diocese claimed the school and land and obtained planning permission for a dwelling and two houses in the grounds. Fortunately the Reverend Zachariah Babington had made a good will and that together with the deeds persuaded the Diocese to withdraw their claim as the original charity was for the “benefit of the people of Trellech”.

The present trust was established in 1992 and the challenge of raising sufficient funds to keep it as a village facility continues. In common with many other villages “use it or lose it” is key and in these challenging economic times that’s is not an easy task. Those who use the facility enjoy it and those who attended the school have fond memories. We would be pleased to hear from those who went to the school about their memories.

As for the future history of the Centre, that is in the hands of the people of Trellech and surrounding community. The Babington Centre (Trellech Village Hall) has undergone major refurbishment in recent years with the bulk of it carried out by the autumn of 2016 (including a modern kitchen, toilet facilities, and a heating and lighting system).

In early 2018 the trustees started work to develop a strategy for the hall which will take us with detail to 2025 and with inspirations beyond to 2040.

Our strategy is written around the goal of developing a successful village hall that everyone values, which enriches the community by:

Being known as a community hub

Being self sustaining (commercially savvy)

Being welcoming to all ages

Being a complimentary centre for education in the community

By being bold and progressive we will deliver a professional and welcoming and vibrant community hub.

By community hub we mean that the Babington Centre should be known as part of the village hub which contains the village hall, a successful early years facility, an information point, a green community space and parking for bikes and cars.

The detail to the plans will be available soon. We are excited by what lies ahead and will be looking for additional trustees to join us to help deliver aspects of the plan over the next two years. This will ensure that the Babington Centre is kept safe as a facility for future generations.